Method and apparatus for vehicle interior evaluation and situational servicing

ABSTRACT

A vehicle may be configured to detect an object within an interior of the vehicle using a vehicle sensor. The vehicle may further determine whether the object should be removed, based on a determined object value, such as may be determined by comparison of an object characteristic to a database of objects. Also, responsive to determining the object should be removed, the vehicle may schedule removal at an automated object-removal center. The vehicle may also wirelessly notify the object-removal center of vehicle arrival when the vehicle arrives at the object-removal center, including sending identification of the object, receiving indication from the object-removal center that the object has been removed, and confirming removal of the object by attempting to detect the object using the vehicle sensor, the confirmation occurring based on non-detection of the object by the vehicle that originally detected the object and requested removal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/271,101filed Feb. 8, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,872,253, issued Dec. 22, 2020,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety byreference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The illustrative embodiments generally relate to methods and apparatusesfor vehicle interior evaluation and situational servicing.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicles may operate in a vehicle-as-a-service model, whichmay embody a fleet of vehicles that are ordered and used in an on-demandmanner. Just as with a taxi or ride-shared vehicle, it is possible foroccupants to leave objects behind in a vehicle cabin, or simply togenerally leave a mess (e.g., food, spilled drink, etc.). Unlike thehuman driven taxis and ride-shared services, however, there is no driverin the autonomous model. Thus, there is no one to notice when an objectis left behind or a drink is spilled.

With vehicles potentially servicing tens, if not hundreds, of occupantsa day, there is significant opportunity for spillage and objects leftbehind in every vehicle. This presents opportunities to irritate otherpassengers in the case of mess, and opportunities for permanently lostitems in the case of objects left behind.

SUMMARY

In a first illustrative embodiment, a system includes a processorconfigured to detect an object within a vehicle interior using a vehiclesensor. The processor is further configured to determine whether theobject should be removed, based on a determined object value. Theprocessor is also configured to, responsive to determining the objectshould be removed, schedule removal at an automated object-removalcenter. Further, the processor is configured to wirelessly notify theobject-removal center of vehicle arrival when the vehicle arrives at theobject-removal center, including sending identification of the object,receive indication from the object-removal center that the object hasbeen removed, and confirm removal of the object by attempting to detectthe object using the vehicle sensor, the confirmation occurring based onnon-detection of the object.

In a second illustrative embodiment, a system includes a robotic removaldevice, equipped with a sensor and a processor configured to receivewireless identification of an object, from a vehicle from which theobject is to be removed. The processor is also configured to guide theremoval device within a vehicle interior to identify, using the sensor,the object based on the identification. Further, the processor isconfigured to secure and remove the object using the removal device. Theprocessor is also configured to place the object in a lockingreceptacle, create temporary access parameters for the lockingreceptacle, and wirelessly communicate the access parameters to anobject owner, having a predefined association with the object.

In a third illustrative embodiment, a system includes a processorconfigured to use a robotic removal device to secure and remove anobject, wirelessly identified by a vehicle, from an interior of thevehicle. The processor is also configured to confirm with the vehicle,via wireless communication, that the identified object was removed,based on the vehicle confirming that the vehicle no longer senses theobject. This removal can also include using robotic arms, drones andother robotic devices to change odor (viaalterant dispensing), wipesurfaces and dry wet areas or spills.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative vehicle evaluation system;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative example of a vehicle evaluation process;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative example of a rectification schedulingprocess;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of an object return process; and

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative vehicle queue handling process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments are disclosed herein; it is to beunderstood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merelyillustrative and may be incorporated in various and alternative forms.The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may beexaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components.Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representativebasis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ theclaimed subject matter.

While it may be possible for an autonomous vehicle to report for regular(e.g., hourly) maintenance and cleaning, this may prove to be a highlyinefficient solution. In addition to resulting in servicing of clean andempty vehicle interiors, a regular process such as this may avoidrecovery of left-behind objects in a manner that causes significantuser-issues. The illustrative embodiments provide systems and methodsfor scanning the interior of a vehicle, identifying a rectifiable issue(e.g., object, spilled liquid or food, trash, etc.) and schedulingrectification of the issue. This addressing of issues with the interiorof the vehicle can be used in conjunction with regular servicing, ifdesired, but should help avoid scenarios where excessive mess orexpensive objects left-behind cause issues for the vehicleowner/provider.

For example, working in conjunction with a fleet of autonomous vehicles,a cloud-based servicing system can, for example, maintain a database ofavailable service stations. This system can also maintain compatibilitydata, in the event that certain stations are only compatible withcertain vehicles. The system can also determine which services areavailable at which stations.

This centralized system can schedule and route vehicles to theappropriate service stations. The system may also, for example, beresponsible for arranging delivery coordination when items are leftbehind in autonomous vehicles (AVs) and are retrieved by servicestations.

Service stations themselves may be small-footprint robotic centers thatcan scan interiors, clean interiors, retrieve objects, store objects andschedule object pickup. In some examples, higher capability centers mayalso exist, for handling large object removal or heavy cleanup. This canallow for cheaper placement of fast-service centers in small footprintareas along with centralized placement of higher-capability servicing incenters that may be more expensive to provide but more comprehensive inservice offerings. Robotic arms that can remove valuable objects canalso perform cleaning, and they may be further capable of cleaning thevehicle interior through additional arms or attachments, including, forexample, waste removal, dusting, wiping, odor removal, etc. Just as theillustrative embodiments describe instances where a vehicle may need totravel to a station for removal of a valuable object, vehicles withspills, odors, long usage times between cleanings and/or food-typeleft-behind objects may also need to stop at a station for cleaning.

A small footprint service center may include, for example, a set oflockable containers with a vacuum and a robotic arm included therewith.A human machine interface (HMI) may also be provided for assisting inuser object retrieval, but such a center may occupy no more than aparking space or two in a lot, and thus may be suitable for placement invirtually any location.

An expanded-function center, with, for example, washing capability andlarge object storage, may more closely resemble modern refuelingstations and may require larger footprints. Both centers couldpotentially be completely autonomous and queue and service vehiclesthrough wireless communication, without the necessary presence of ahuman operator.

By accommodating and allowing for automatic scanning for mess andobjects, and rectification of the same, the illustrative embodimentsimprove the efficiency and overall effectiveness of autonomous fleets.Customer satisfaction can be maintained through retrieval of objects andremoval of objectionable messes. Further, the vehicles may be servicedas needed, and at appropriate locations, both improving servicing andmaintaining localization of vehicles by servicing the vehicles withoutnecessarily requiring them to travel to logistically undesirablelocations. The uncommon and atypical examples and concepts describedherein demonstrate potential improvements achievable through use ofthose examples, concepts, and the like.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative vehicle evaluation system 100. In thisillustrative system 100, an illustrative autonomous vehicle 102 isshown. The system 100 also includes, for example, a customer device 140,a central cloud coordination system 120 and an illustrative servicestation 130. Each component is shown for illustration only and mayinclude more, fewer, or different components and elements than thoseshown for illustration.

In this illustrative system 100, the vehicle 102 may include a centralprocessing unit 101 controlling, for example, one or more cameras 103.These cameras 103 may include vision system cameras and may be able, inconjunction with the central processing unit 101, to determine if acabin interior image does not match an expected image. This can includethe presence of a foreign object and/or the presence of a discolorationthat may represent a spill or trash. Other sensors 111 can also beincluded, such as weight 113, RADAR 115 and LIDAR 117 sensors. While notshown in the system 100, odor detection and other spill and objectdetecting sensors may further be included within the vehicle 102. As anexample of an object detection sensor, a wireless signal sensor maysense a wireless device signal indicating a smartphone or other mobiledevice was left in the cabin of the vehicle 102. Using data from thesevarious sensors, the vehicle 102 can identify the existence of areas tobe wiped or dried and the locations of those areas, and/or identify theexistence of an odor and request that the station 130 utilize an odoralteration dispenser.

The vehicle 102 may also include a telematics control unit (TCU) 105,which is capable of communication with a remote server through anonboard vehicle modem. Onboard Wi-Fi 107 communication and BLUETOOTHcommunication 109 can provide both local communication services(in-vehicle and vehicle-proximate) as well as long range communicationservices through an access point. In this example, the vehicle 102 usesthe TCU 105 for remote communication with the cloud and BLUETOOTH and/orWi-Fi for communication with the service center 130.

Responsive to a passenger leaving an object behind in the vehicle 102,the sensors and detection systems may detect the left-behind object. Thevehicle 102 may alert the scheduler 121 in the cloud, which can performseveral functions. For example, the scheduler 121 can find an availableservice center and set up a service call for object removal. Thescheduler 121 can also access a database of objects 123 to determine therelative value of an object that was left behind. For instance, a higherrelative value may be ascribed to a cellular phone compared to the valuegiven to a coffee mug. The scheduler 121 may also communicate with acustomer device 140 via a cellular connection. Using the cellularconnection, the scheduler 121 may receive information from the customerto identify the value of the object and indicate whether retrieval isdesired and whether retrieval is important. In instances where alow-value object, such as a water bottle or coffee mug, is left behind,the system 100 may not immediately schedule retrieval.

A processor 141 of the customer device 140 can receive the communicationfrom the remote server and store, for example, an access code oridentifier that can be sent via BLUETOOTH from a BLUETOOTH module 145 tothe service station 130 when the customer arrives.

The service station 130 may, for example, have service lockers 131 thatcan be loaded by removal tools 139 such as robotic removal devices.These systems may be controlled by one or more processors 133 of theservice station 130. A scheduler process 132 executed by the processor133 may determine which vehicle 102 is up for service, and the vehicle102 may communicate via a Wi-Fi transceiver 135 or a BLUETOOTHtransceiver 137 when it arrives. The communication may also includeidentification of the object or spill to be rectified. The presence ofthe spill or item may be verified by a camera 136 or sensors 138, whichmay be included with a robotic arm or position to view/scan the vehicleinterior.

The system 100 may then utilize a robotic arm or other removal tools 139(which could function in conjunction with the camera 136 or sensors 138)to grasp/secure the object and place the object into the locker 131. Inan example the removal tools 139 can include a robotic arm with agrasping portion, suction portion, etc. In another example, the removaltools 139 may include a drone similarly equipped as having a roboticarm. The processor 133 can register the locker 131 with the object,vehicle 102 and/or related customer, and when the customer with a deviceincluding the appropriate identification later arrives, the customer cansend a signal to the processor 133 to unlock the locker 131. Thecustomer may also have a personal identification number (PIN) or otherway of achieving access to the locker 131. In this manner, left-behindobjects can be secured and retained for customer retrieval.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative example of a vehicle evaluation process200. In an example, the process 200 may be performed by elements of thesystem 100 described in detail above. For instance, the vehicle 102 mayinitiate a cabin scan at 201. This may be at a point when there are nousers in a vehicle 102, or the scan may cover a limited area notcurrently occupied by any humans. Typically, the system 100 will notschedule cleaning while occupants are in the vehicle 102, but foregregious messes exception may be made (users could be transferred toother vehicles 102 along the way).

In this example, the process 200 executes via the processor 101 when thevehicle 102 is empty of passengers and determines, for example, whethera device signal is detected at 203. The illustrative examples pertain tothe identification of objects, but similar techniques could be used todetect messes within the vehicle.

If there is no device signal, the process also attempts to determine ifthe left-behind device is an electronic device (e.g., has the shape of atablet, watch, phone, etc.) at 205. The process may also attempt todetermine if the left-behind object is a valuable object at 207. Somedeterminations may involve communication with the cloud 120 and acomparison of the objects to a database 123 of visually identifiableobjects or use of an object identification application or service.

If the object is identifiable, by the vehicle 102, as valuable, theprocess at 217 may flag the object as valuable. If the vehicle cannotidentify the object, the process may image the object at 209 and sendthe image at 211 to the user who is projected to have left the objectbehind (e.g., one or more of the last occupant(s)). If the user confirmsthe value of the object at 213, or offers to pay to retrieve the object(retrieval may involve a cost), the process may flag the object asvaluable at 217. Otherwise, the process may flag the object asnon-valuable at 215 and suitable for retrieval by the service station130 when convenient or necessary (i.e., the vehicle 102 may notimmediately re-route to a service station 130).

If the vehicle 102 includes one or more valuable objects, the processmay determine a drop off location at 219. The drop off location may be,for example, the closest location to a vehicle location that can servicethe removal, the closest or a suitable location for user retrieval(e.g., somewhere near the user who is picking up the object), or alocation that places the vehicle 102 being serviced in a suitablelocation for a next-pickup. For example, if there is a low demand forvehicles 102, the process may send the vehicle 102 to a service station130 near to a user location. If there is a high demand for vehicles 102in the area where the vehicle 102 is located, the process may send thevehicle 102 to the nearest service station 130. If there is a highdemand for vehicles 102 in another area, the process may send thevehicle 102 to a service station 130 in the other area for servicing, sothe vehicle 102 is immediately available for use in the high demand areafollowing servicing.

If possible, the vehicle 102 may also attempt to secure the object at221. For example, this may involve a small mechanical arm or droneinside the vehicle 102, retrieving the object and placing the object ina secure storage location. Similar to the services station tools 139,the securing can include use of a robotic arm with a grasping portion,suction portion, etc. A drone could be similarly equipped, and thevehicle 102 may have multiple tools for removal, depending on the objectsize, shape, location, etc. If the object can be secured, the vehicle102 may be able to delay servicing. If the object cannot be secured, thevehicle 102 may require immediate servicing. Once the vehicle 102schedules an object drop off and location at 223, the vehicle 102 maytravel to the service station 130 at the location.

When the vehicle 102 arrives at the service station 130 location at 225,the process may notify the service station 130 that the vehicle 102 hasarrived at 227. The process may also notify a user device 140 thatdrop-off is imminent at 227. Once the object is removed at 229, theprocess may rescan the vehicle 102 at 231. The removal of the object mayinitially be indicated by the service station 130, and the rescan canconfirm if the service station 130 is correct.

If the process confirms that the object has been removed at 233, theprocess may notify the user at 235. This can include, for example,sending a locker identification and/or a code to the user device 140.These and other received access credentials may be usable to access thelocker when the user arrives at the service station 130.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative example of a rectification schedulingprocess 300. In this example, the process 300 executing on the vehicle102 via the processor 101 may contact the service station 130 at 301 andsend an image of the object to be removed or the spill to be cleaned upat 303. The vehicle 102 may also send some form of vehicle cabincoordinates or a vehicle cabin location where the object/spill islocated, within the vehicle, at 305.

For instance, upon arrival, or via the scheduler, the vehicle 102 maysend an image of a phone and the location “rear left seat” or acoordinate system established for the vehicle interior at 305. This canalso assist the station 130 in determining whether the station 130 canremove the object (e.g., does the station 130 include a suitable tool)and/or which tool to use to remove the object.

Once the station 130 confirms removal of the object and the vehicle 102verifies removal of the object at 307, the vehicle 102 may receivestorage information from the service station 130 at 309. For example,the service station 130 can remove a phone and place it in locker 131twenty-one, and the vehicle 102 may receive indication that the objectis in locker 131 twenty-one. This received data may also includeidentification of an access code for the locker 131. Additionally oralternatively, as in this example, the vehicle 102 may also provide theservice center at 311 with a customer identification (e.g., a customerID number or biometric) and/or a preferred access code or deviceidentification usable to access the locker 131 when the customerarrives.

Before, after, or at the same time, the vehicle 102 and/or the servicestation 130 may send the storage station 130 location, locker 131identification and/or access information to the customer at 313. Forexample, after storing the device in locker 131 twenty-one, the servicestation 130 may receive the customer device 140 ID and an access code(e.g., 1234). The customer may then receive the storage station 130location, the locker ID of twenty-one and an image of the retrievedobject. Upon arriving at the center, the customer may input an ID via anonsite interface or connect the identified device 140 to the servicestation 130 via a wireless connection. Using the access code (or theaccess code and the locker ID, if the customer has no device 140 toconnect), the customer may access the storage locker 131 and retrievethe stored object. This can also result in confirmation being sent tothe cloud 120 that the object was successfully retrieved, which can alsotrigger a charge-event if the customer is paying for the retrievalservice.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative example of an object return process 400. Inthis example, the process 400 executing on a vehicle 102 processor 101may identify the object at 401 and/or whether the object is valuable orrequested for retrieval. The vehicle 102 may also confirm a customerlocation at 403, which may be useful if the process 400 is designed toaccommodate a present customer location when determining where to dropoff the object.

In certain examples, the process 400 may actually be configured toinstruct delivery of the object to the customer. Mobile locker vehiclesand other vehicles equipped for delivery services may be enabled tointeract with an object vehicle 102 including the object, retrieve theobject and deliver the object to a customer.

If delivery is available and/or requested, the vehicle 102 may attemptto find a delivery vehicle at 407. If there is no vehicle available at409, the vehicle 102 may notify the customer that delivery isunavailable at 411. In such an instance, the vehicle 102 may continuewith object drop off at a service station 130. It is also possible forlater-available delivery vehicles to retrieve objects from servicestations 130 and deliver those objects to customers.

If a vehicle 102 is available to deliver the object, the process mayschedule a drop-off with the customer at 413. While it is certainlypossible for the original vehicle 102 to deliver the object, in someexamples it may be more useful to have a single delivery vehicle withthe capability to retrieve and store many objects. This allows thedelivery vehicle to retrieve objects as convenient, hold the objects andplan deliveries in an efficient manner, while the original vehicle(s)102 can continue to service riders.

Once the service vehicle confirms the drop off availability at 415, theprocess may request at 417 that the vehicle come and retrieve theobject. As noted, object retrieval may occur via a service vehicle evenif the customer is not immediately available. The service vehicle mayeven drop the object off at a service station 130, if a drop-off withthe customer cannot be arranged.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative vehicle queue handling process 500,executable by a service station processor 133 and/or scheduler 132. Inthis example, the station 130 may queue vehicles 102 at 501 as theyarrive at the service station 130. While it is certainly possible toservice vehicles 102 in a first-in first-out manner, it may also bereasonable to service requests based on, for example, vehicle 102 need,projected service times, etc.

For example, if a vehicle 102 is scheduled for a rider pickup, it mayhave a ten-minute window for servicing, and may be placed in a queueahead of earlier-arriving vehicles 102 that are not scheduled forrider-request handling. Alternatively, if a vehicle 102 has a spill thatwill require a projected thirty-minute cleanup, that vehicle 102 maytemporarily be taken out of service and serviced as timing allows, whichcan include, for example, partial servicing when time is available. Eventhough it may take longer than thirty minutes to complete the servicingwhen considering the wait time, this allows multiple other vehicles 102with lower servicing times to be serviced while the vehicle 102 with thelarge spill waits for an opportunity to be serviced.

In this example, the station 130 communicates at 503 with waitingvehicles 102, to determine if a given vehicle 102 is requested for useby a rider at 505. This is not the only reason a vehicle 102 may bemoved up or down in a queue, as noted, but rather is an example of areason why a vehicle 102 may be given priority.

If a given vehicle 102 is requested for use by a rider, the station 130may also determine if any service space is available in the queue at507. Some service stations 130 may have multiple tools 139 that canservice multiple vehicles 102 at the same time. Other times, theavailable space may simply refer to a higher priority slot in the queue.If a vehicle 102 is near completion of servicing, for example, even ifthat particular vehicle 102 is not requested for user pickup, the centermay complete servicing of that vehicle 102 first. On the other hand, ifthe non-requested vehicle 102 has more than a projected threshold ofservicing time remaining, for example, the station 130 may instruct thatvehicle 102 to move and may give priority at 509 to another vehicle 102that was requested for rider use. Any reasonable parameters may be usedfor requeuing vehicles 102, which can even include, for example,prioritizing spill cleanup on hot days where spills may result inpermanent damage to a vehicle 102 interior.

The illustrative embodiments accordingly allow for automateddetermination by a vehicle 102 of objects and spills that are leftbehind by vehicle occupants. Moreover, the described embodiments alsoprovide for autonomous servicing of vehicles 102 to address objects andspills that are left behind, so that the vehicles 102 can be moreefficiently and effectively serviced.

Computing devices described herein generally include computer-executableinstructions where the instructions may be executable by one or morecomputing devices such as those listed above. Computer-executableinstructions, such as those of the processes described herein, may becompiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a varietyof programming languages and/or technologies, including, withoutlimitation, and either alone or in combination, JAVA™, C, C++, C#,VISUAL BASIC, JAVASCRIPT, PYTHON, JAVASCRIPT, PERL, PL/SQL, etc. Ingeneral, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions,e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executesthese instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, includingone or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions andother data may be stored and transmitted using a variety ofcomputer-readable media.

In each of the illustrative embodiments discussed herein, an exemplary,non-limiting example of a process performable by a computing system isshown. With respect to each process, it is possible for the computingsystem executing the process to become, for the limited purpose ofexecuting the process, configured as a special purpose processor toperform the process. All processes need not be performed in theirentirety, and are understood to be examples of types of processes thatmay be performed to achieve elements of the invention. Additional stepsmay be added or removed from the exemplary processes as desired.

With respect to the illustrative embodiments described in the figuresshowing illustrative process flows, it is noted that a general purposeprocessor may be temporarily enabled as a special purpose processor forthe purpose of executing some or all of the exemplary methods shown bythese figures. When executing code providing instructions to performsome or all steps of the method, the processor may be temporarilyrepurposed as a special purpose processor, until such time as the methodis completed. In another example, to the extent appropriate, firmwareacting in accordance with a preconfigured processor may cause theprocessor to act as a special purpose processor provided for the purposeof performing the method or some reasonable variation thereof.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined in logical manners to produce situationally suitable variationsof embodiments described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a processor configured to: detect an object within an interior of a vehicle using a sensor of the vehicle; determine whether the object should be immediately removed according to a determined value of the object; responsive to determining the object should be immediately removed, identify an automatic-removal service station, capable of removing the object; schedule removal of the object at the service station; responsive to the service station confirming scheduling of removal, re-route the vehicle to the service station; wirelessly notify the service station of arrival of the vehicle responsive to arrival of the vehicle at the service station, the notification including an identification of the object; receive indication from the service station that the object has been removed; and confirm removal of the object by attempting to detect the object using the vehicle sensor, the confirmation occurring based on non-detection of the object.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the value of the object based on comparison of an image of the object to a database of objects.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain an image of the object using a camera sensor of the vehicle; send the image of the object to a computer remote from the vehicle for comparison to the database; and receive a response from the computer remote from the vehicle indicating the value of the object.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain an image of the object using a camera sensor of the vehicle; send the image to at least one prior passenger of the vehicle requesting confirmation that the object should be immediately removed; receive confirmation from at least one of the at least one prior passengers that the object should be immediately removed; and responsive to the confirmation, determine that the object should be immediately removed.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to determine the service station based on the service station being within a predefined proximity of a user location, the user location requested by the processor from one or more of the at least one prior passengers.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to request the user location responsive to a present demand for the vehicle, received from a computer remote from the vehicle, being below a predefined threshold.
 7. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to notify the at least one prior passenger from whom confirmation was received, responsive to confirming removal of the object.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to include identification of the service station in the notification to the at least one prior passenger from whom confirmation was received.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to identify access credentials to the at least one prior passengers from whom the confirmation was received, the access credentials usable to retrieve the object from the service station.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the service station based on the service station being a closest-available automatic-removal service station to a present location of the vehicle and responsive to a present demand for the vehicle, received from a computer remote from the vehicle, being above a predefined threshold.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the service station based on the service station being within a region identified to the processor, by a computer remote from the vehicle, as a region having present demand for the vehicle above a predefined threshold.
 12. A method comprising: detecting an object within an interior of a vehicle using a sensor of the vehicle; determining whether the object should be immediately removed according to a determined value of the object, determined based on comparison of an image of the object to a database of objects; responsive to determining the object should be immediately removed, identifying an automatic-removal service station, capable of removing the object; scheduling removal of the object at the service station; responsive to the service station confirming scheduling of removal, re-routing the vehicle to the service station; wirelessly notifying the service station of arrival of the vehicle responsive to arrival of the vehicle at the service station, the notification including an identification of the object; receiving indication from the service station that the object has been removed; and confirming removal of the object by attempting to detect the object using the vehicle sensor, the confirmation occurring based on non-detection of the object.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the service station includes determining the service station based on the service station being a closest-available automatic-removal service station to a present location of the vehicle, responsive to a present demand for the vehicle, received from a computer remote from the vehicle, being above a predefined threshold.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the service station includes determining the service station based on the service station being within a region identified to the vehicle, by a computer remote from the vehicle, as a region having present demand for the vehicle above a predefined threshold.
 15. A method comprising: detecting an object within an interior of a vehicle using a sensor of the vehicle; obtaining an image of the object using a camera sensor of the vehicle; sending the image to at least one prior passenger of the vehicle requesting confirmation that the object should be immediately removed; receiving confirmation from at least one of the at least one prior passengers that the object should be immediately removed; responsive to the confirmation that the object should be immediately removed, determining that the object should be immediately removed; responsive to determining the object should be immediately removed, identifying an automatic-removal service station, capable of removing the object; scheduling removal of the object at the service station; responsive to the service station confirming scheduling of removal, re-routing the vehicle to the service station; wirelessly notifying the service station of arrival of the vehicle responsive to arrival of the vehicle at the service station, the notification including an identification of the object; receiving indication from the service station that the object has been removed; and confirming removal of the object by attempting to detect the object using the vehicle sensor, the confirmation of removal occurring based on non-detection of the object.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the service station includes determining the service station based on the service station being within a predefined proximity of a user location, the user location requested from one or more of the at least one prior passengers.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising requesting the user location responsive to a present demand for the vehicle, received from a computer remote from the vehicle, being below a predefined threshold.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising notifying the at least one prior passenger from whom confirmation was received, responsive to confirming removal of the object.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the notification includes identification of the service station.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the notification includes access credentials usable to retrieve the object from the service station. 